168 Hours, Laura Vanderkam
168 Hours, Laura Vanderkam
4 Rating(s)
List: $29.98 | Sale: $20.99
Club: $14.99

168 Hours
You Have More Time Than You Think

Author: Laura Vanderkam

Narrator: Elizabeth London

Unabridged: 7 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Ascent Audio

Published: 06/07/2010


Synopsis

There are 168 hours in a week. This book is about where the time really goes, and how we can all use it better.

It's an unquestioned truth of modern life: we are starved for time. With the rise of two-income families, extreme jobs, and 24/7 connectivity, life is so frenzied we can barely find time to breathe. We tell ourselves we'd like to read more, get to the gym regularly, try new hobbies, and accomplish all kinds of goals. But then we give up because there just aren't enough hours to do it all. Or else, if we don't make excuses, we make sacrifices. To get ahead at work we spend less time with our spouses. To carve out more family time, we put off getting in shape. To train for a marathon, we cut back on sleep. There has to be a better way-and Laura Vanderkam has found one.

After interviewing dozens of successful, happy people, she realized that they allocate their time differently than most of us. Instead of letting the daily grind crowd out the important stuff, they start by making sure there's time for the important stuff. They focus on what they do best and what only they can do. When plans go wrong and they run out of time, only their lesser priorities suffer.

It's not always easy, but the payoff is enormous. Vanderkam shows that it really is possible to sleep eight hours a night, exercise five days a week, take piano lessons, and write a novel without giving up quality time for work, family, and other things that really matter. The key is to start with a blank slate and to fill up your 168 hours only with things that deserve your time.

Of course, you probably won't read to your children at 2:00 am, or skip a Wednesday morning meeting to go hiking, but you can cut back on how much you watch TV, do laundry, or spend time on other less fulfilling activities. Vanderkam shares creative ways to rearrange your schedule to make room for the things that matter most.

168 Hours is a fun, inspiring, practical guide that will help men and women of any age, lifestyle, or career get the most out of their time and their lives.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Amy Rhoda on March 05, 2015

This is a helpful book if: - you have bags of money, - you like processed food, and - you believe in quality time over quantity time with your kids. Vanderkam argues that you can have it all, all at the same time. She says it's easy to find the 20-30 hours a week that you absolutely require (she asserts......more

Goodreads review by Gabrielle on August 27, 2012

As the title suggests, Vanderkam argues that each of us has 168 hours each week and how we use those hours is a personal choice. By using both research, examples of people who've accomplished an incredible amount of success in several major life areas, and her own, personal examples, this book is fu......more

Goodreads review by Maddie on May 03, 2025

RATING BREAKDOWN Characters: - Setting: - Plot: - Themes: 4⭐️ Emotional Impact: - Personal Enjoyment: 3⭐️ Total Rounded Average: 3.5⭐️ This was a validating book about taking stock of how we spend the time allotted to us in a given week. As someone who gate-keeps my time pretty rigorously and considers sayi......more

Goodreads review by Missy on October 18, 2015

I went up and down on this one: yes, helpful in pointing out that priorities matter and just flailing around without thinking about them means you feel like you never have enough time; but, no, admitting that you're incredibly privileged and wealthy doesn't give you brownie points for when you *comp......more

Goodreads review by Leftbanker on September 19, 2018

A few things you will learn from this book: • Every menial task in your life should be farmed out to flunkies. • If you aren’t a creative genius perhaps you could be a professional flunky. See if www.flunkies-are-us.com is available. • Put down the Twinkie, turn off the professional wrestling program o......more